Mercedes Considering U.S. Built C-Class

Decision expected in January

2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport
2010 Mercedes-Benz C 300 sport

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Comments (15)

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6spdaudi

I am surprised it has taken this long.

November 13, 2009 4:30 pm

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McNamara68

it makes sense. wherever you can get cheap labor that has virtually no rights against their employer, it makes for greater profitability. hell, in alabama and south carolina where MB and BMW make some of their cars, there are no strike laws for god sake.

November 13, 2009 5:27 pm

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autoficianado

The Labor is not cheap in South Carolina its about the industry norm. The smaller cars made by luxury makers have a thin profit margin thats why building them in the country they are sold in makes sense as it insulates the manufacturer from currency fluctuations. Sounds like more union (organized labor) talking. Car making is a business and needs to be run like a business. Stop grousing when automakers are making smart decisions. Bad decisions are what put GM, Chrysler and others into bankruptcy we don't need any more reminders...

November 13, 2009 6:18 pm

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4 replies

rcw

Well stated!

November 13, 2009 6:23 pm

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McNamara68

The labor in South Carolina is much cheaper than it is in Germany when you factor in benefits. When you throw in labor restrictions (or the lack thereof in the less well-heeled states in the Union) the incentive to produce there goes up ten fold. Why do you think Boeing is relocating the production of the new Dreamliner to SC from WA? It is all about the lack of labor protections in the former. To say that labor is not cheaper in SC is a joke and shows you are way out of touch. They have one of the lowest min. wages in the U.S. and draw heavily on unskilled latin american workers for a large portion of their industry.

November 13, 2009 7:13 pm

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sideskraper

They're not relocating 787 assembly. They're expanding in a second location. Charleston is their only real major facility big enough to handle 787 assembly (and future 737 replacement assembly) since they decided to shutter Long Beach in the long term.

November 14, 2009 2:25 am

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McNamara68

@ Sideskraper, you are correct, the new SC plant to be built will be the second 787 assembly plant. nevertheless, the point still stands. their decision to locate this plant there is largely driven by soft labor protections in SC, bottom line.

November 14, 2009 5:11 am

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wjaprep

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. no no no no no no no. I dnt wanna buy an German car made in America. Yes, I know, it's still a Mercedes and still a German car and blah blah blah, but... in America? that's just wrong.

November 13, 2009 7:05 pm

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3 replies

EDavis

Relax. We're really good at building other peoples' cars. Besides, any quality control issues that may have arisen at the Alabama factory with regard to the first vehicle that was built there, the ML320 I believe, were quickly addressed by MB brass when they replaced the water fountains on the factory floor with moonshine stills.

November 13, 2009 8:56 pm

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sub39h

that's not true. even the Euro spec 300C is built in Austria to prevent quality control issues.

November 14, 2009 2:09 am

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EDavis

sub39h: "that's not true" What's not true?

November 14, 2009 3:43 am

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otakki

I thought the previous generation c-class was built in the US at one point. If it can be built to the same high quality, I do not really care where it is built. Strict quality control is everything.

November 13, 2009 7:45 pm

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Sacto8780

I think with the declining popularity of SUV's due to fuel efficiency requirements, don't be surprised that M-B produces not only the C-class sedan, but also the upcoming next-generation B-class hatchback at its Vance, AL assembly line, too.

November 14, 2009 11:52 am

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pismeov

i don't see this as being a problem. the m-class and bmw x5 that are built in the states now seem to be of good quality. some c-classes are built in south africa and are sold alongside the german built ones and not many people can tell the difference. as was said, quality control is everything. a lot of hondas and toyotas sold in north america are built in north america and have been for years.

November 14, 2009 6:01 pm

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hdoolabh

Does this mean the C Class will stop being produced in South Africa?

November 20, 2009 2:41 pm

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